In her keynote address, Farah Jasmine Griffin, professor of English and Comparative Literature and African-American Studies at Columbia University, will introduce attendees to the issues and themes in Bambara’s work and how they may be interpreted in view of current contemporary African-American literature today. In the early 1970s, Ms. Bambara was a major contributor to the emerging genre of contemporary black women’s literature, along with writers Toni Morrison and Alice Walker. Many of her stories focused on men and women living in black neighborhoods in big cities or small southern towns. She frequently wove black dialects into her prose, creating a unique, complex language that was widely admired by critics. Other presenters at the symposium include Malaika Adero, a personal friend of Ms. Bambara’s; Sonia Sanchez, the poet laureate of Philadelphia; and Eugene Redmond, the poet laureate of St. Louis.

The event is open to the public and admission is $10; $5 for senior citizens, students and faculty (with ID). Free admission for MEC students. For more information, visit www.centerforblackliterature.org.